Boil Water Update

The path and time frame to deliver clean water to residents of Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Virginia Tech and Montgomery County has come into focus. The boil water notice will continue at least through next weekend (Oct. 12-13).

The New River Valley Regional Water Authority has been working diligently around the clock to restore normal operations in the wake of Hurricane Helene. All water samples tested since October 1 at the water treatment facility demonstrate water quality meets or exceeds Virginia Department of Health – Office of Drinking Water (VDH-ODW) requirements. However, water quality tests throughout the entire water distribution and storage systems must pass established VDH-ODW standards before the boil water notice can be lifted.

The next step is to flush all local systems. That process will begin upstream in the Town of Christiansburg, continuing downstream in the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech, and then Montgomery County. We anticipate that sequential process will begin sometime today, October 3.

In addition to flushing each system, per VDH-ODW requirements water storage tanks must be disinfected before final samples can be taken. To ensure continuous water capacity throughout the process, the disinfection of tanks must be staggered. In other words, all the tanks cannot be drained, cleaned and disinfected at the same time. This process takes a minimum of 74 hours per tank, which means the boil water notice will continue at least through next weekend (Oct. 12-13).

While flushing takes place, water customers may experience discoloration in their water but they should simply follow the boil water notice for cooking and consumption. Again, the water is safe for showering, bathing, cleaning, and washing clothes or washing dishes by hand or with a dishwasher. We continue to stay consistent with VDH-ODW guidance. We will provide additional information later today, including water test results.